Our Materials
We’re dedicated to using natural fibers to create great activewear with the same fit & function you need, without using polyester or plastic-based synthetic fabrics. Because we believe this creates better, healthier apparel that reduces your exposure to toxic chemicals and microplastics.
Organic Cotton
Our organic cotton is grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or GMOs, supporting healthier soil and cleaner waterways. Our organic cotton is sourced in Turkey and India - and is adheres to GOTS certified processes for farming, processing, dyeing and finishing.
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Merino Wool
We like to say Merino wool is “nature’s activewear fiber”. Merino wool is naturally stretchy, temperature regulating, and odor resistant. This makes it a perfect choice for clothes that have to stand up to the rigors of exercise.
We're proud to say our Merino wool is not processed using the traditional superwashing process. We've transitioned to an innovative, GOTS compliant process that uses ozone to mildly descale our wool, allowing it to maintain a level of machine washability without using chlorine or Hercosett-125. Because of this innovative, plastic-free process, you should expect ~4-7% shrinkage after 1-2 washes (according to our shrinkage tests). While this is slightly more than superwashed wool, we believe this tradeoff is worth it.
Additionally, all of our wool fabrics are independently tested to be free of BPA, PFAS and phthalates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the problem with polyester?
Polyester is actually a type of plastic. This means it sheds microplastics onto your skin with every wear, often contains toxic endocrine disrupting plastic chemicals (like BPA), and some studies show it can impact fertility.
What materials do you use?
We use natural fabrics like 100% organic cotton & Merino wool. These fabrics are from nature - not a lab. By choosing natural fabrics, you reduce your exposure to the microplastics and toxic chemicals often found in synthetic fabrics.
Why is it more expensive than other brands?
Because we don't compromise. Because we only use high quality, organic fabrics like 100% organic cotton & Merino wool, our product costs are substantially higher than big brands who sell cheap materials (polyester) at a premium price.
Additionally, we only partner with ethical manufacturers who maintain GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifications, pay their workers a fair wage, and maintain safe conditions for their staff.
Last thing - we're proud that we're still priced competitively to premium brands like Lululemon, Vuori, Rhone and Ten Thousand - despite using high quality, 100% natural materials.
What are GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100?
GOTS is the Global Organic Textile Standard. It means our cotton has been grown & processed without the synthetic pesticides or toxic chemicals (like formaldehyde), commonly found in conventional cotton.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 means all of our fibers, fabrics, and dyes have been 3rd party tested for a variety of toxic substances - including BPA, PFAS and other endocrine disruptors. When you wear Ryker, you can be confident you're only wearing the best.
What dyes do you use?
We use water based fiber reactive dyes that comply with GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 class 1 standards.
They're independently tested for heavy metals & other toxins commonly found in the apparel industry.
Are your clothes 3rd party tested?
Yes. Not only do we rely on regular factory audits from the governing bodies of GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100, but we also independently test our fabrics & end garments.
You can see our latest test here. Completely free of BPA, PFAs, and phthalates.
Where are your products made?
We currently work with GOTS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified manufacturers in Turkey & Vietnam.
Previously, we've worked with some GOTS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified manufacturers outside of Shanghai China.
For some limited edition styles, we're currently exploring American production. More on this soon!
Every single factory we work with (or will work with) is compliant with GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100, and has been audited for fair pay, safety, and chemical usage.
Additionally, we 3rd party test our garments & fabrics to ensure compliance with our rigorous standards.
What size should I get / will your products shrink?
We almost recommend customers "size up" from whatever they wear in synthetic brands. For example, if you're a medium in Lulu shorts, opt for a large in Ryker.
This is because our gear tends to run a bit small + shrinks ~5% in the wash. This is inherent to a high quality natural fiber.
"Pre-shrunk" cotton is often treated with harmful chemicals to make it that way - and that's not what we're about.
We always recommend washing on the most gentle setting available + laying flat to dry to reduce shrinkage.
What's the return policy?
We offer a 90 day return policy. As long as the garment is unused (meaning, you don't wear it several times and then decide to return), we will accept your return.
We want happy customers - not annoyed customers. So we're pretty generous here.